| Wong Tai Sin Temple |
Article Index for Wong Tai |
Website Links For Wong |
Information AboutWong Tai Sin Temple |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT WONG TAI SIN TEMPLE | |
| wong tai sin | |
| taoist temples in hong kong | |
| 1921 architecture | |
|
Wong Tai Sin Temple () is one of the most famous . The temple is located on the southern side of Lion Rock in the north of Kowloon . HISTORY In the early .. On the main altar of the temple stands the painting of the Taoist god, which was originally brought to Hong Kong from Guangdong province in 1915 . In 1921 , under the advice of an enlightened one, they moved the temple to Rosy Garden, its current position. The temple remained a private shrine limited to only "Pu Yi Tan" Taoists and their family members until 1934, when the government opened the temple to the public during Chinese New Year . Temple historians often describe the shrine as a miraculously structure for surviving the Japanese Occupation in the 1940s relatively unscathedEvans, Grant. Tam, Maria. {Link without Title} (1997)Hong Kong: The Anthropology of a Chinese Metropolis. Routledge. ISBN 0700706011. In 1956 , the government proposed to reclaim the temple for public housing development. Chairman Wong Wan Tin's pushed for the temple to remain open. Charging a 10-cent admission fee at the main entrance, fees were donated to the Tung Wah Group Of Hospitals . To facilitate administration and management, the temple was registered as a limited company of charitable nature in 1965 , and was granted the immunity of not having to add the word "Limited" to the organization's name. Because of its historic significance, the Temple is graded as a Grade II historic building. List of Graded Historic buildings (As at 6 Jan 2007) FACILITIES There is a Nine- Dragon Wall (九龍壁) modeled after one in Beijing . The Three-Saint Hall (三聖堂) is dedicated to Lü Dongbin , Guan Yin , and Lord Guan . Containing a portrait of Confucius , the Taoist temple has a collection of Confucian , Taoist, and Buddhist literature. TRADITIONS Annually, from January 1 to 15, the temple receives numerous visitors, such as those whose prayers were answered returning to thank the immortal. Wong Tai Sin's birthday on the 23rd day of the 8th Lunar Month , and the Chinese New Year holidays are the busiest times for the temple. On the Chinese New Year's Eve, thousands of worshippers wait outside the temple before midnight and rush in to the main altar to offer Wong Tai Sin their glowing Incense Sticks when the year comes. As the tradition goes, the earlier they offer the incense, the better luck they will have that year. Most of the visitors come to the temple in search for a spiritual answer via a practice called Kau Cim . They light incense sticks, kneel before the main altar, make a wish, and shake a Bamboo cylinder containing fortune sticks until a stick falls out. This stick is exchanged for a piece of paper bearing the same number, and then the Soothsayer will interpret the fortune on the paper for the worshiper. Often the same piece of fortune is taken to multiple booths for verification purposes. Some booths offer Palm Reading service. Recently, Taoist Wedding s have been performed here. OPERATION The temple is open from 7:00am to 5:30pm throughout the year, and runs overnight in the Lunar New Year Eve. It is currently administrated by Sik Sik Yuen , a Taoist organization in Hong Kong. SEE ALSO REFERENCE EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|